Sombrero cookies for your fiesta

Chelsea is the author of the food blog Chelsea's Messy Apron where she shares a wide variety of recipes including family-friendly and easy meals, lots of baked goods and desserts, and plenty of healthy eats. She received her BA in Exerci...

In case you want to party without the hat

These sombrero cookies might look intricate, but they are quite simple to make. This step-by-step tutorial will show you just how easily you can have this perfect party treat ready in no time.

To create a sombrero-decorated cookie, you can start out with either homemade sugar cookies or golden sandwich cookies. The sandwich cookies make this dessert even quicker to whip up, so that is what is shown here.

Fit a frosting bag with a #3 tip, or take a plastic bag, and cut off the very tip of a corner with scissors.

Fill up the bag with vanilla or cream cheese frosting to pipe onto the cookies.

The picture on the left shows the frosting being piped on with a frosting bag and #3 tip, while the bottom right picture shows a plastic bag with a corner tip cut off. Both work equally well and can achieve the same look.

Carefully circle the outer edges of the cookie with the frosting. Then, using a candied gumdrop as a guide, frost a small circle at the center of the cookie.

The center circles will go around the gumdrops after the cookies have been dipped in the sprinkles.

Make sure to use nonpareil sprinkles, the small dot-like sprinkles seen in the pictures. I prefer the multicolored nonpareil sprinkles because they add a lot of color and fun to these cookies. You can use either just one color or a different mix, depending on your preference.

Simply pour the sprinkles into a bowl that is small but wider than the cookies you are dipping.

Then press the frosted cookie into the sprinkles. Make sure to dip the cookies quickly after frosting them so the frosting doesn't have a chance to dry out.

Now you are ready for the finishing touch. Frost the bottom of a sugared gumdrop, and press it into the center of the cookie.

Once the gumdrop is securely placed, these cookies are ready for a party.

Sombrero cookie recipe

Serves 30

Ingredients:

1 package golden sandwich cookies

1 container vanilla or cream cheese frosting

1 (2 ounce) container colored nonpareil sprinkles

30 candy gumdrops

Directions:

Remove the cookies from the container, and lay them out on a cookie sheet.

Fit a frosting bag with a #3 tip, or cut the tip of a corner off a small plastic bag.

Fill the frosting bag or plastic bag 1/2 a cup at a time with frosting.

Pipe a circle along the edges of the cookie, and then pipe a circle in the middle of the cookie. Use the base of a gumdrop as a guide for the width of the inner circle.

Fill a shallow bowl that is wider than your cookies with the sprinkles.

Press the frosted cookie into the sprinkles, and then shake off any excess back into the bowl.

Frost the bottom of a gumdrop, and press it into the center of the cookie. Repeat for the remaining cookies.